What We’re Reading: Remote Ireland, Banksy Takes New York, and Great White Sharks

“Off Ireland, a Rugged Journey to Remote Ruins,” The New York TimesWriter Christopher Hall confronts—and perhaps solves—the mystery of “why 10,000 people each year make the stomach-churning passage to Skellig Michael, a desolate rock pinnacle eight miles off Ireland’s southwest coast.” His graceful prose and thoughtful rumination capture the dream-like quality of the journey and connect the modern pilgrim to the hermit monks who, in the 7th century, built their monastery in what George Bernard Shaw called “an incredible, impossible, mad place.” —Derk Richardson

“The Devil’s Teeth: A True Story of Obsession and Survival Among America’s Great White Sharks,” Susan CaseyI have been completely taken with Devil’s Teeth—it’s about the great white shark population at the Farallones. A friend gave it to me as a ‘welcome to SF read.’ It’s a slightly dark ’welcome to SF’ read, but still, it’s fascinating! I can’t wait to drive over the Golden Gate Bridge on a nice day and seem them (and maybe a scary dorsal fin?) —Elizabeth Spiridakis Olson

“Japan’s Food Fighters,” Roads and KingdomsIn 2008, UNESCO added intangible cultural artifacts—”traditions or living expressions inherited from our ancestors and passed on to our descendants”—to its world heritage program. This year, traditional Japanese cooking culture, washoku, is up for the distinction. Matt Goulding explores what it takes to preserve a cooking culture centuries old. —Kim Fortson

“What Humans Can Learn from a Simple Kiss,” NPRA recent study published in Archives of Sexual Behavior explores the inherit meaning of kissing to humans. The study, lead by doctoral candidate Rafael Wlodarski, tries to answer a few questions, like, what purpose does kissing serve for couples? Does it solely elevate sexual arousal? What Wlodarksi found was incredibly convoluted and surprising. Both NPR and the New York Times reported on his findings, talking to different outside sources for further explanation. Turn to either publication for a quick overview of the study, or, if you’re feeling extra-nerdy (like myself), take a gander at both. —Lauren Schiappa

Dear CityGot a complaint, love note, or otherwise anonymous message you’d like to leave for the metropolis you call home? Then head on over to Dear City. What started in 2009 as “Kære København” for Copenhagen expanded to the rest of the globe very recently, allowing users to come together to praise or hate on their urban day-to-days. Whether Dear City will become yet another message board for anonymous trolls or a “documentation of contemporary life and its ups and downs,” it’s already a way to get a peek into the lives of people in cities around the world. —Liv Combe

“Bansky in NYC,” The AtlanticWith Banksy’s “Better Out Than In” New York project coming to a close this month, viewing his work is imperative before it gets wiped out or painted over completely. The Atlantic managed to capture some of his greatest pieces merged with public interactions all around New York City. The photos successfully demonstrate the intersection between art and society, and they surely will go down in public art history. —Lauren Schiappa